Gardening bargains at Aldi

[Bibliobeck]

Just come from my local Aldi where they have some annual gardening favourites in...
Fruit trees £3.99. I got a lovely plum tree - the only one that I could see, but they had eating & cooking apples and pear trees as well
Soft fruit stems
Ornamental fruit trees - lemon, kumquat and some others (for display use only...anyone know why?? They were covered in lovely looking fruit)
Seeds - veg and flower
Windowsil propagators - I got these last year and found them very successful
Soil moisture measures
Begonia hanging baskets

Probably a few other bits and pieces but my eyes looking like this --> so I may have missed somethings I usually get there when it's all gone, so I couldn't believe my luck stumbling in when it was fully stocked.

[snake the squadie]

i know mate aint it good i have already been and got most of them but going later on to buy the trees

[duggie]

I visited Aldi's at the weekend and drooled over all the fruit packs. I resisted buying anything (hubbie tied my hands behind my back) as our plot is only half dug. At the moment I have no-where to plant any fruit bushes and have no idea when the planned fruit plot will be ready. I am hoping it will be ready by May but obviously depends on the weather. Would it be ok to snap up these bargains now and store them somehow? If so, how would be best to keep them?

Please help - I can hear those little fruit bushes begging for a home

[shirlthegirl43]

Some of the smaller bushes would be okay in buckets or containers for a while, trees could be 'heeled in' until you are ready to plant them in their new homes. (I think that basically means stick your spade in the ground and open up a 'flap' bung the tree roots in and firm the earth back with your heel)

[Minty]

Hi. I took advantage of the Victoria Plumb tree with the idea of espaliering it, however i have just read that it is not advised to do this with plumb trees.........Plan B ????.
Minty X

[Paul Wagland]

Jeannine and I were supposed to go to Aldi on the way from GYO HQ, but we got to talking and forgot to turn off! Hope there are still some trees left tomorrow...

Minty - I think the thing with plums is that they shouldn't be pruned at all if you can help it, because they get silver leaf disease via the cut stems. Could grow yours in a pot though, to control its final size?

[shirlthegirl43]

Could grow yours in a pot though, to control its final size?

I have mine in buckets at the moment as I hoped this would keep them under control. Thank you for reassurance that this is a feasible plan.

Hope Aldi have some trees left for you tomorrow.

[pigletwillie]

You can prune them when in leaf mint but only prune what you have to, the less the better. I have about 25 of these Aldi / Lidl trees either cordoned, espaliered or as an orchard and they are cracking value.

[jeannine]

I love Aldi!!!

It's best to avoid pruning plums, but as Pigletwillie says if you have to do it, do it while they are growing strongly (in spring and summer). I think the idea is that the rising sap pushes the disease spores out of the wounds before infection sets in.

[Two_Sheds]

I managed to get three of the Windowsill Propagators (label says they are made of recycled plastic) on the back of my bike y'day, splendid they are too. OH will come home to find about 500 sprouting onion sets on his windowsills tonight

[jeannine]

Hooray, just got 10 fruit trees at Aldi, so the mini orchard is going to be looking lovely this spring. The fruit bushes were completely sold out but there were quite a few propagators left... roll on the weekend!!!

[Paul Wagland]

Hooray, just got 10 fruit trees at Aldi, so the mini orchard is going to be looking lovely this spring. The fruit bushes were completely sold out but there were quite a few propagators left... roll on the weekend!!!

Guess who's going to be doing the digging?

[pigletwillie]

Jeannine???????????

[Protea]

Ornamental fruit trees - lemon, kumquat and some others (for display use only...anyone know why?? They were covered in lovely looking fruit)

they've probably not been grown as an 'edible' crop, and have therefore been sprayed with pesticides only allowed on 'ornamentals'. If you were to buy the tree and not eat the fruit for a couple of months it would 'probably' be fine then to eat, and as long as you didn't treat them as an ornamental crop (in terms of spraying etc) then that would be fine.

The other alternative is that the fruit looks great but tastes horrible!!!

[jeannine]

Nice one Piglet Willie, and I'll be making the packed lunch!!!